Travel Muse Magazine

Enemies to lovers is one thing, but what about rivals to secret lovers between the White House and the British royal family?

Reading Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston pulled me straight into Alex-Claremont Diaz and Prince Henry of Wales chaotic, hilarious world—where rivals collide, tension sparks, and love begins from a $75,000 wedding caketastrophe. 

The novel has dual settings and dual leads. It follows Alex, as the half-Mexican First Son of the United States, of the first female president, adding layers of representation and pressure as he navigates politics and identity in the public eye. In London, we’ve got Prince Henry’s royal life with tradition-upon-tradition plus expectation and even more secrecy being added to their relationship.

McQuiston’s novel is a whirlwind of queer love, political tea, and, of course, a lot, and I mean, a lot of chaos. What I love most is how it constantly shifts from the high-stakes of their political roles to personal moments, letting us truly take a look into their hearts while also having humor sprinkled throughout the book. From crashing into Henry’s brother’s royal wedding cake to the softness of royal portrait pictures in Hyde Park, the novel captures a range of emotions of longing, tension, and joy. These shades of colorful emotions are what make Red, White, & Royal Blue the book it is.

I became especially aware of the contrast between their worlds–at first, this difference made their connection feel almost impossible to sustain, shaped by different systems of power and visibility. Yet, as their rivalry slowly shifts into something more intimate, their relationship continues to grow beneath the surface, hidden, but that doesn’t stop the substance of their connection from blooming into something deeper.

Watching that tension unfold made me want to map some real-life locations to pair up with their fictional plot points. From Washington’s historical White House to London’s parks and palaces, here’s a guide to stepping into their story, full of history, chaos, and, of course, a dose of royal romance… 

Historical SPots

The White House – Washington, D.C.

Firstly, the story begins with Alex Claremont-Diaz in the White House, the center of where his personal life and public life take place. It’s where the setting of the novel begins, and Alex shares a hidden message he found on the White House roof, saying, “Don’t Get Caught,” which goes to show how controlling his world must be. The White House, oddly enough, is a place he can be himself in when he’s not in front of the public. Though the roof may not be open to the public, there are available tours you can take to visit parts of the White House itself. These will let you soak up a bit of what Alex’s life demanded, as well as the emotional toll that came with that level of political pressure and learn a bit about the actual history of the USA too. 

Buckingham Palace – London

Rotating back to our lovely London, yes, we have our infamous royal wedding cake incident in Buckingham Palace. Alex couldn’t let Henry get the last word, and without thinking, he reached out to Henry’s shoulder and crashed into Philip’s wedding cake. They fell onto the floor in an avalanche of white buttercream, some kind of $75,000 nightmare (p.12). Visitors can take a tour here through the Royal Collection Trust. According to their website, “Buckingham Palace’s magnificent State Rooms open to visitors each summer. Dates for 2026 are 9 July – 27 September. During the rest of the year the Palace only opens on selected dates for small-group guided tours.”

Kensington Palace – London

Though another must-see area is Kensington Palace, where Alex’s infamous cake incident unexpectedly leads to him getting Prince Henry’s phone numbers?! Kensington Palace becomes a major turning point in their relationship. Today, Kensington Palace is open to visitors, and tickets cost about €21, allowing you to step into the start of Alex and Henry’s love story. 

Arts and Culture 

Victoria and Albert Museum – London

If you want to get a look at their Art and Cultural places, I highly recommend the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This museum is a place where I see Henry spending hours and hours on end. It was also highlighted in the movie adaptation of the novel as a space deeply connected to Henry’s aesthetic, where his overall taste aligns with the rich cultural and historical elements of the U.K. Through its collections of royal fashion, historic textiles, and European arts, it reflects the same tradition and refinement that he’s grown up around. I can imagine Henry being drawn to these historic pieces and sharing this more personal side of himself with Alex by walking through these spaces together. 

Gay’s The Word – London

Additionally, “Gay’s The Word” is a queer-focused bookstore that reflects the themes of identity and love, which are the key elements brewing in this book. It’s very easy to imagine Alex and Henry easily getting lost here for hours, flipping through the pages. Alex would be cracking a joke or two, while Henry acts annoyed, but is secretly enjoying the humor. They’d recommend books to each other, laughing quietly, and finding little pieces of themselves in the pages they share. Last year, I stepped inside this very cozy and welcoming bookstore, and I actually remember spotting a copy of Red, White, and Royal, & Blue sitting on the shelf. I really hope to return here next time I’m in London, not just to visit this place again, but also to reconnect with it, and let its atmosphere soak in! 

Library of Congress – Washington, D.C.

This novel now has a place in LGBTQ+ literary history at the Library of Congress. McQuiston donated “a copy of their book to the Library’s LGBTQ+ collection for preservation in the nation’s library” in 2023.

According to the LoC’s website, it is “the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online.” So you don’t even have to travel to experience this literary treasure!

Nature and Outdoor Romance 

Kennedy Rose Garden – Washington, D.C.

A lot of the romance in this novel blooms outdoors. The Kennedy Rose Garden is where the first kiss between Prince Henry and First-son Alex happens! Though their relationship is still being kept in the shadows, sparks fly in this serene garden. While mostly a private space used for official events, there are some public tours that let fans visit the location this intimate iconic moment that ignited the beginning of our favorite romance. You can learn about its long history in this article, learn about the types of roses growing there here, and make plans for visiting here.

Hyde Park – London

At Hyde Park, we see how our favorite relationship shines, exiting the shadows. Henry and Alex have a public moment, where they take royal portraits together, at a public park, in front of people, while keeping their relationship on the down low. Visitors can take lovely portrait selfies here, too, and even have a romantic moment here, royal blue-style. 

Restaurants 

Busboys and Poets – Washington, D.C.

Where would our favorite couple go out to eat and explore, should they live in the real world with us? Alex would love Busboys and Poets in D.C. He would appreciate how this real-life eatery focuses on activism and inclusion. They even hosted a watch party of the adaptation’s release on 2023. They’ve been a “cultural hub in Washington” for 20 years, according to their website. “Since 2005, we’ve been a place where art, culture, and politics intentionally collide—a space to take a deliberate pause, reflect, and connect.”

The Wolseley – London

Finally, the Wolseley in London’s Piccadilly is a place to find pure European elegance and a good meal. With its enchanting chandeliers, Art Deco design details, and all around classy atmosphere, it feels like a space Prince Henry would frequent. Their website says this is a place “where everyone has a story to tell,” which is perfect for our characters! “Serving everything from afternoon tea to celebratory dinners,” the restaurant serves all meals of the day, but is particularly famous for their breakfast. Perhaps, try a classic British “Cream tea” under their “grand arched ceilings, marble columns and European café atmosphere mak[ing] it a fitting setting for a quintessentially British occasion.”

From the page to the screen

Fans of rom-coms and queer romance will absolutely devour every word of Red, White, Royal Blue! If you’re having a tough day or simply need a little boost of dopamine, this is the royal book for you: chaotic, funny, heartfelt, and impossible to put down. As Harrison Hill writes in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Red, White & Royal Blue is a “propulsive, pulpy rom-com…[and] it represents a whole category of books that might’ve helped fill the literary drought of my adolescence.” 

Red, White, & Royal Blue unexpectedly captures the development of their relationship through both physical distance and digital communication, such as texting and phone calls, while also transitioning the characters in both locations, and emphasizing how love grows across the different spaces and political environments. The location is central to the plot because the contrast between these two settings, Washington and London, intensifies the secrecy, pressure, and political stakes of their relationship. Red, White, & Royal Blue ultimately delivers a heartfelt and very humorously entertaining story that blends politics and romance. It leaves readers with laughter, emotional fulfillment, and immense hope from reading Alex and Henry’s journey. 

Casey McQuiston has said that the story was inspired by the 2016 U.S election, imagining a world where love prospered amid the heightening political chaos and a United States with its first female president. The novel balances high-stakes political drama with intimate moments, and, like Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, explores a deeply emotional queer romance shaped by pressure, such as identity, secrecy, and expectation. Both stories highlight how love can be transformative, even in very complicated circumstances.

At first, I won’t deny that I was a little hesitant to pick it up, mostly because of the mixed reviews I heard. Some people on TikTok called it too cheesy and felt too YA; and yes, this may turn a person away from the book. But honestly, that’s what I loved. From the moment I started reading, I was hooked. Alex’s first-person narrative is sharp, humorous, and witty. I could truly feel his emotions when reading it through his perspective, as if he were speaking directly to you. He didn’t sugarcoat anything and kept it real, messy, and completely relatable. The chaos and jokes never erase the heart of the story; instead, it makes Alex and Henry’s journey feel even more colorful and vibrant.

I would give Red, White, & Royal Blue a 4 out of 5 stars; while I loved its humor,  there were moments where it felt slightly cheesy, though I did enjoy some of them, and it could be exaggerated at times. But regardless, picking up a copy of this book feels like sitting in the front-row seat to this rollercoaster ride we call Alex and Henry’s love story! 

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